Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!claris!krazy
From: krazy@claris.com (Jeff Erickson)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Disappointed in the IIgs (was: GS/OS and programming standards)
Message-ID: <9010@claris.com>
Date: 6 Mar 89 23:58:11 GMT
References: <2668@uokmax.UUCP>
Organization: Claris Corporation, Mountain View CA
Lines: 69

From an article by Collin Broadrick Douglas:
>  It sure is nice to know that someone from Claris has such support
>  for the II line.

As I said before, my opinions are not Claris's opinions.  Claris is VERY
SOLIDLY behind the future of the Apple IIgs and AppleWorks GS.  Once we
shipped, I got off that project, but there are still plenty of very
capable people -- INCREDIBLY capable people -- working on it.

>  I have a GS and I am proud of it.  I love it very much.  Yes, there are
>  days that I wish I had more speed etc. but overall I am perfectly happy
>  with my GS.  I knew when I bought my computer that I wasn't getting a real
>  powerhouse, I accepted that.  If people wanted a really powerful computer,
>  they probably should have gotten a Mac Se/30 or a mac II.  I am going
>  to get the Transwarp GS AND the Floating Point Engine (if they will work
>  together) and that will make the GS much quicker than it currently is.
>  In fact, with those two add ons, I think that my GS will be fast enough
>  to compete with most computers on the market.  Especially since most of the
>  programs I use are 8bit (Appleworks, Proterm) but I use enough 16 bit to
>  fully justify buying a GS (Diversi Tune, Graphicwriter etc.)  

I have to agree with you here.  With a TransWarp and an FPE, your GS ought
to be about as fast as an SE.  That's plenty fast enough to make the machine
actually useful for 16-bit programs that use the new toolbox routines.

But Apple could have made the 7MHz 65816 standard, rather than requiring
an add-on board.

I have no complaints at all about the Apple II line before the GS.  I 
learned to program on a ][+.  My biggest problem with the GS is that I
expected so much MORE from Apple.  There was (and still is, as Scott
points out) a lot of potential for this machine.  When I first got to
play with one of these things, it was GREAT!  I thought "Wow!  Just think
what this machine is going to be like when it's released!"  And I was
(obviously) disappointed.  Forgive me if I lose sight of what Apple HAS
done, but it really hurts to see what they haven't.

>  Another thing, My GS has color, does a Mac SE?  no
>  MY GS has nice sound (a full 16 voices using Diversi Tune, yes, that's right
>  Diversi Tune gives you ALL 16 voices)  a mac has four voices.
>  My GS can run almost ALL apple II software.  I have seen the reviews for
>  II-in-a-Mac and I am not impressed.  

You have good point, but it all depends on what you want.  Color and sound
are important, but not as important as speed and power.  I want WYSIWYG,
and I want it fast.  No Apple II can give that to me.  I want to be able
to program in a high-level language.  The languages available for the II
aren't as fast or powerful as the ones available for the Mac.

If you aren't on the same speed-and-power trip I am, and you want what the
II has to offer, more power to you.

I've seen II-in-a-Mac.  It's pretty hokey.
 
>  I still believe that the Apple II line is the most versitale computer
>  in the world.  And you, Jeff Erickson, maybe you should go work for
>  NeXT!

Versatile?  You may be right about that, but it's close.

Maybe I >should< go work for NeXT....Hmmm...

>   				A very MAD Collin Douglas

-- 
Jeff Erickson       \  Internet: krazy@claris.com          AppleLink: Erickson4
Claris Corporation   \      UUCP: {ames,apple,portal,sun,voder}!claris!krazy
415/960-2693          \________________________________________________________
______________________/              "I'm so heppy I'm mizzabil!"